The day centered on a student challenge using a Crumbl data prompt and a panel on how analytics drives real decisions in hotels, health care, travel and finance. Workshops, a career event and a student poster session rounded out the program.

In a Crumbl-sponsored data challenge, students raced to analyze menu rotation, demand signals, and retention levers. The top four teams advanced to present to industry judges, including Crumbl Chief Operating Officer Grace Chadwick and her team joining virtually.

The winning team members, Maylee Clerici 鈥�26, Andrew Glas 鈥�26 and Mike McLain 鈥�26, showed how Crumbl can balance novelty with familiarity and use data to guide weekly menus and strengthen loyalty.

鈥淲e approached the Summit Challenge from a consulting standpoint, unpacking the rotating-flavor paradox and how Crumbl can leverage its advantages for future growth,鈥� said Clerici, a supply chain and business analytics major from Mars, Pa. 鈥淥ur shared foundation in data visualization and storytelling fueled our coordination and helped us deliver a focused, winning solution.鈥�

The team received $1,000 and a $500 Crumbl voucher. The second-place team focused on community, voice of customer, and a repeatable weekly structure. The runners-up received $500 and a $250 Crumbl voucher.

To close out the day, industry leaders discussed how analytics reshapes decision-making, innovation, and customer experience across sectors from hospitality to healthcare and finance. The conversation centered on aligning analytics with strategy, building trustworthy data, and developing teams that can translate insights into action.

Panelists were:

• Johnathan Capps, chief revenue officer Charlestowne Hotels
• Neil Biehn, vice president, Siemens Healthineers
• John Wimmer, assistant teaching professor, 黑料不打烊
• Danielle Nashold 鈥�04, SVP, technology executive, Bank of America
• Loren Gold, executive vice president, Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Students opened the day with AI with SAS, led by Danny Modlin 鈥�98, senior analytical training consultant at SAS, who guided a hands-on walkthrough in SAS Viya for prepping and exploring data.

A second session, Business Analytics and Career Success, featured Lisa Thaller, former corporate learning facilitator at IBM, and Richard Pro, president and chief analytics and strategy advisor at VRINetics, on translating classroom tools into early-career impact through clear communication, project framing and measurable outcomes.

Students connected with representatives from Labcorp, Bank of America, Red Ventures, SAS, RTI International and Charlestowne Hotels at the career event, while a nearby poster session in LaRose showcased projects from the Center for Organizational Analytics and business analytics courses.

Mark Kurt, associate dean for the Love School of Business, closed the program by emphasizing how workshops, networking and student research together build the skills to lead with data.

鈥淭his was a transformative visit, as the team saw the work of the fall and spring semesters come to fruition,鈥� said Eric Rich 鈥�25, a business analytics major on the project team.

The visit was part of a collaborative initiative between HWH and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Center for Organizational Analytics.

Housed Working and Healthy is a Denver-based nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals experiencing housing instability through its Culinary Program. The four-month, hands-on program combines culinary training, mental health support, and job placement services.

黑料不打烊 students, including Eric Rich, Logan Laszewski, Brandon Feld and Adam Shirley, have been working on a data project under the guidance of faculty advisors Vinayaka Gude, assistant professor of business analytics, and Tony Reyes, assistant professor of human service studies. The project is designed to identify factors contributing to student success in the culinary program, allowing HWH to refine its training and support services.

During the visit, the students toured HWH鈥檚 facilities and learned about the organization鈥檚 mission to provide job training and supportive services to individuals overcoming homelessness and other life challenges.

鈥淭he most exciting aspect was meeting the compassionate students and staff at HWH and knowing that we are contributing to their mission of sustained employment,鈥� Rich said.

A highlight of the visit was the Iron Chef competition between graduates of HWH鈥檚 Culinary Program, in which Brandon Feld had the unique opportunity to serve as a judge. This friendly competition showcased the culinary skills and creativity of HWH graduates, providing a platform for them to demonstrate their expertise while receiving feedback from industry professionals.

“Data can reveal patterns and insights, but it is the human element, understanding the people behind the numbers, that truly drives meaningful impact,” said Gude. “This visit gave our students the chance to see firsthand the stories and talents behind the data they are analyzing, reinforcing the importance of empathy and human connection in their work.”

The collaboration between HWH and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Center for Organizational Analytics is part of an ongoing partnership aimed at enhancing their community culinary program through data-driven insights. Under the guidance of Professors Gude and Reyes, 黑料不打烊 students designed a dashboard to help HWH predict what students will most benefit from their program.

This year鈥檚 theme, 鈥淚gnite the Future: AI in Action, Powered by Mentorship鈥�, featured panel discussions, hands-on workshops and mentoring activities throughout the day.

The first panel, Women in Business Analytics, championed mentorship as a key factor in fostering inclusive teams and supporting more women in data-driven leadership. Speakers encouraged students to seek not only mentors but also sponsors who will advocate for them at pivotal career junctures.

Moderated by Associate Dean Haya Ajjan, the panel featured:

• Gayle Bieler, senior director, Center for Data Science and AI, RTI International
• Grace Chadwick, chief operating officer, Crumbl Cookies
• Magdaline Frank, director of data science and advanced analytics, Hanes Brands Inc
• Rachyl Jackson 鈥�17, media director and co-founder, FireTeam

A second panel centered on healthcare analytics, with executives describing how AI can streamline patient care, from improved diagnostics to more efficient administrative workflows. They stressed that data integrity and security are essential in the clinical environment, where patient safety remains paramount.

Moderated by Assistant Professor and Center for Organizational Analytics Director Hyunuk Kim, the panel included:

• Dr. Chris DeRienzo, senior vice president, chief physician executive, American Hospital Association
• Stephen Blackwelder, executive director, Technology Partnerships, Duke Health
• Preston Hammock, regional president of Greensboro market & senior vice President, Cone Health

A final panel on AI governance and cybersecurity reinforced that rapid technological innovation demands rigorous oversight. Panelists called for frameworks to protect sensitive data and help companies remain both agile and secure.

Moderated by Takoda Moore 鈥�27, a financial technology major in the 3+1 program, the panel featured:

• Brad Manganello, CAO, Citi
• John Wimmer, Former CIO, Xanterra Parks & Resorts
• Jason Smith, senior incident response analyst, DeepSeas

Capping the day was the Hanes Brands Challenge, an open-ended competition where student teams proposed AI-powered solutions for product development, marketing, and supply chain efficiency. Ideas ranged from consumer style quizzes that collect real-time feedback to sophisticated 鈥渟tyle index鈥� models that predict the longevity of emerging fashion trends.

• First place: 鈥淣umber Ninjas鈥� 鈥� Robert Barcello 鈥�25, Craig Brandstetter 鈥�25 and Dominic Mazza 鈥�25 introduced the 鈥淗anes Style Index,鈥� a scoring model that combines trend velocity, consumer sentiment, and longevity projections to guide Hanes Brands in investing in the most promising apparel trends.
• Second place: 鈥淏BIA Headquarters鈥� 鈥� Eddie Keefe 鈥�25, Ava LeGendre 鈥�25, and Berlyn Squillaro 鈥�25 focused on social listening tools (such as Brandwatch and Hootsuite), competitor keyword research with SEMrush, and influencer marketing to help Hanes Brands capture consumer preferences and respond swiftly to emerging trends.
• Third place: 鈥淒ata Diggers鈥� 鈥� Brandon Boudreau 鈥�26, Christina Kurtz 鈥�25, and Jessica Summers 鈥�26 proposed a 鈥減recision and personalization鈥� strategy, featuring an AI-powered style quiz, custom-designed apparel concepts, and targeted advertising based on quiz insights.

Workshops were led by Assistant Professor of Management and Director of Artificial Intelligence Integration Mustafa Akben, who focused on generative AI and related tools, and by Ajjan, who guided sessions on job searches and early-career mentorship.

鈥淭his year鈥檚 Business Analytics Day clearly showed how mentorship and AI innovation go hand in hand,鈥� said Ajjan. 鈥淥ur students engaged deeply with real-world challenges, and we saw firsthand how 黑料不打烊鈥檚 focus on collaboration leads to practical, impactful solutions.鈥�

鈥淚t is important for us to hold these discussions with our students and community,鈥� said Manoj Chari, an assistant professor of business analytics and the center鈥檚 director. 鈥淎I will continue to be a topic that needs to be examined at all angles.鈥�

Keynote Speakers

Shiva Kommareddi

Shiva Kommareddi, a managing director at Accenture, focused his session on the practical applications of AI for businesses.

Having launched numerous successful data and AI startups, including Core Compete, Kommareddi brought a wealth of experience in deploying advanced analytics and AI within retail, manufacturing, and financial sectors. He explained the value of having AI generate responses for customer service or write copy for product descriptions.

鈥淢any are over-thinking AI and how to use it,鈥� Kommareddi said. 鈥淵ou need to experience the innovation to figure out how it can work best for you.鈥�

David Levine

Professor David Levine at 黑料不打烊 School of Law School presented on legal implications and considerations surrounding generative AI.

If OpenAI falls under trade secret protection, Levine asked, and even developers of the code are not entirely sure how the code selects output – can AI still be a trade secret?

“That question may not need to be decided until a national security risk is discovered,” Levine said.

Levine鈥檚 legal scholarship focuses on the intersection of technology, secrecy, and public policy. An affiliate scholar at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School, he also was a fellow at Princeton University鈥檚 Center for Information Technology Policy from 2014-2017.

In recognition of his scholarly work, Levine was named the Jennings Professor and Emerging Scholar at 黑料不打烊 Law for 2017-2019.聽Most recently, Levine was named聽a fellow at the聽University of Milan鈥檚 Information Society Law Center.

Linda Jordan, a principal analytical training consultant with the North Carolina-headquartered global AI and analytics software corporation, visited campus on February 13 for an evening program designed to strengthen students鈥� data analytics skills.

鈥淭he workshop was an opportunity to be able to see what I enjoy in data analytics,鈥� said Paul Nunno 鈥�27 a finance and accounting major from Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Through Jordan’s guidance, participants used SAS Visual Analytics to visualize data, identify trends, and scrutinize relationships within their datasets. The tool gave students leverage with the data, encouraging students to ask complex “what-if” questions.

鈥淚t is important for us to bring such industry professionals to our campus to talk about best practices,鈥� said assistant professor Manoj Chari, director of the Center for Organizational Analytics. 鈥淭his type of hands-on exposure to enterprise class software is vital for students interested in a career in business analytics.鈥�

Upcoming Data Camps

Upcoming Data Camps will be presented by assistant professor Mustafa Akben and focus on building applications with Generative AI.

• February 27, 2024, Sankey 308: Simple Chatbot Customization with Prompt
• March 12, 2024, Sankey 308: Retrieval Augmented Generation Based Generative AI models
• March 19, 2024, Sankey 116: Advanced Generative AI Agent Models

Gayle Bieler P鈥�24 founded the in 2014 at RTI, the nonprofit institution dedicated to improving the human condition around the world, to apply the emerging field of data science to RTI鈥檚 mission and to implement her vision of 鈥淒ata Science for Social Good.鈥� Bieler also serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Organizational Analytics.

鈥淚 wanted to make a difference in the world,鈥� said Bieler, who spoke at 黑料不打烊 on Nov. 2, in a program hosted by the Center for Organizational Analytics. 鈥淩TI gave me the opportunity to implement my vision and grow within the organization.鈥�

Bieler emphasized the essential skills required in today’s industry, underscoring the importance of software development in data science and the significance of proficiency in R and Python, and platforms like GitHub. She expressed confidence in the educational programs at 黑料不打烊, acknowledging their effectiveness in ensuring students graduate with those skills.

Bieler encouraged students to apply for the 鈥攁 platform offering opportunities for impactful work in government across domains like design, cybersecurity and analytics.

鈥淥ne topic in the discussion that stood out to me was the transformative impact of COVID-19 on the modernization of data for governmental purposes,鈥� said Vanessa Taylor, a student in the Master of Science in Business Administration program from Norrk枚ping, Sweden.

Bieler’s presentation underscored the evolving role of AI in reshaping job markets. She noted the importance of individuals equipped with the knowledge and skills to harness AI’s potential.

“One of the main things I took away from the event is that it is important to pursue secondary education,鈥� said Patrick Burke 鈥�24, a finance major from Wilton, Connecticut. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 especially true in computing because AI isn’t going anywhere, and avoiding falling too far behind is necessary.”

In a Q&A session, one student’s question on diversity led Bieler to share details about RTI’s predominantly female statistician workforce. While recognizing the gender gap in the field, she expressed optimism about companies with a STEM-related focus adopting and embracing diversity and inclusion practices.

“It was an incredibly informative session,鈥� said Ajay Nimmala, a master鈥檚 student in the MSBA program from Hyderabad, India. 鈥淚 gained valuable insights into the types of roles I should be seeking as I approach my graduation.鈥�

Shiva Kommareddi, a managing director at Accenture leading its North America Supply Chain Data & AI Practice, answered student questions in the first 鈥淐onversations with Analytics Leaders鈥� held in Sankey Hall on September 28, 2023.

Kommareddi founded two successful ventures that led to acquisitions, including one by Accenture.聽He described his impressive career journey and what he learned from working for companies like i2, SAS and Accenture and how their different cultures shaped and influenced his own entrepreneurial experiences.

He also provided insights about Generative AI applications in industry, including their impact on supply chain and operations, clearly articulating the specific areas where it can provide game changing value.

Student Reflections

“I really enjoyed the insight and advice Mr. Kommareddi shared with us, especially when it came to how the supply chain world will change with AI becoming a more commonly used tool. Every company’s supply chain contains a never-ending and forever changing list of problems to solve, and hearing how AI is being introduced to help in solving those problems was very insightful as I begin my career next year.鈥� – Lotte Fox 鈥�24, supply chain management major聽

鈥淢r. Shiva Kommareddi聽provided us with an amazing insight into top level executive decisions regarding generative AI. He shared his extremely inspiring career path with us providing everyone who attended with an amazing opportunity to reflect on the future of the market and the advancements in AI鈥�. – Rafi Dahdal 鈥�24, business analytics (3+1 program)

Upcoming Visitors

Thursday, November 2, 2023聽
Gayle Bieler 鈥� Senior Director, Center for Data Science and AI, RTI International

黑料不打烊 Provost Rebecca Kohn has named Professor Crista Arangala the inaugural director of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Data Nexus initiative following a national search.

黑料不打烊 introduced its Data Nexus initiative as part of a five-year Quality Enhancement Plan developed during its most recent accreditation process. Data Nexus will serve as a coordinating hub for data competency initiatives at the university throughout the plan and beyond.

鈥淒r. Arangala鈥檚 exceptional record of teaching and scholarship, and her wealth of knowledge about the value of data competency in finding answers to many of the vexing problems that confront humanity, make her uniquely suited for this important responsibility,鈥� Kohn said. 鈥淭here is no doubt that Dr. Arangala鈥檚 approach to building collaborations and prioritizing student success will benefit countless 黑料不打烊 graduates in the years ahead.鈥�

In her new role, Arangala will help faculty and departments design courses and academic experiences to enhance student learning of foundational data literacy skills as well as more advanced data competency working with quantitative and qualitative data.

Arangala will work with a faculty advisory committee and collaborate with a range of campus partners to:

• Coordinate the implementation of the Quality Enhancement Plan and new, related initiatives;
• Support student learning for data-oriented assignments and projects;
• Connect and elevate existing data-intensive initiatives and programs;
• Provide and support professional development opportunities for pedagogical development and research around data competency; and
• Assess the ongoing success of the QEP and maintain a strong feedback loop to measure and continue to enhance student learning and data competency.

Arangala assumes her new role following eight years as chair of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics where she played a key role in the development of the department鈥檚 Statistics Practicum and the Data Analytics major. That included the creation and teaching of a course on mathematical methods in data analytics 鈥� and she serves as the director of the Data Analytics Scholars program.

鈥淒ata is everywhere. Data is the language of the digital age, and we all must learn how it鈥檚 gathered, how it鈥檚 used, and how it can be of benefit in solving some of our world鈥檚 biggest challenges,鈥� Arangala said. 鈥淭he Data Nexus initiative is another example of how 黑料不打烊 is a leader in undergraduate education: it unites our community in the pursuit of new and exciting ways to prepare graduates for lives of deeply meaningful service and leadership.

鈥淚 am excited to serve as the conduit for this campus-wide collaboration – embracing the need for data-competency!鈥�

Arangala earned her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Allegheny College, a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Cincinnati, and a Master of Higher Education Administration Certificate from Stony Brook University. Her scholarly pursuits have focused on a variety of applications in mathematics including mathematical biology, mathematical physics, gerrymandering, and sentimental analysis.

Since joining the 黑料不打烊 faculty in 2000, she has mentored more than 35 students in undergraduate research projects, many of which are related to applied linear algebra.

Arangala has published five books related to mathematical modeling, data analytics, and inquiry learning in the classroom: 鈥淓xploring Linear Algebra: Labs and Projects with Mathematica鈥�, 鈥淓xploring Linear Algebra: Labs and Projects with Matlab鈥�, 鈥淢athematical Modeling: Branching Beyond Calculus鈥� and 鈥淓xploring Calculus: Labs and Projects with Mathematica.鈥� Her most recent textbook, 鈥淟inear Algebra with Machine Learning and Data,鈥� was published earlier this year.

She also is the co-founder of the 黑料不打烊 Traveling Science Center, which offers undergraduate students an opportunity to develop science and math exhibits for both local and international exhibitions.

Arangala traveled to Sri Lanka in 2014 as a Fulbright Scholar and previously served as associate director of the Periclean Scholars program at 黑料不打烊.

黑料不打烊 Health Analytics Day on March 31, 2023, featured insights from four speakers who discussed their work with improving hospital operations, identifying more effective medical recommendations based on human behaviors tracked with data, and researching the impact of emerging approaches to medicine and to pandemic responses.

Assistant Professor Manoj Chari directs the 黑料不打烊 Center for Organizational Analytics and said he selected health care as the theme of the 2023 program for several reasons.

鈥淎ll of us are thinking about health because of what happened in the past few years with the pandemic,鈥� Chari said. 鈥淚 was hoping to inspire some students to work in health care, and I wanted to inform them about how much expertise on data analytics is needed to increase efficiency and to reduce costs and, more importantly, to improve patient outcomes.

鈥淚 also wanted students to be exposed to a diversity of talks on various aspects of the healthcare journey that we all experience. That鈥檚 one of the things that makes this topic interesting. We all identify with or at least recognize the problems these researchers and industry experts are trying to solve from our own experience.鈥�

Featured Speakers for the 2023 Program

• Steve Kearney, global medical director at SAS where he helps lead the organization鈥檚 focus on the future of digital health for R&D, product management, and the team
• Tarun Mohan Lal, an experienced analytics healthcare leader with a passion for innovation, transformation and community support to improve lives
• Maria E. Mayorga, a professor of personalized medicine and director of graduate recruitment and success in the at North Carolina State University
• Alexander 鈥淪andy鈥� Preiss, a research data scientist at

Students who attended the presentations praised the speakers for their insights.

鈥淭hey all provided a unique perspective of analytics in the health field, and they tailored it specifically to where we could all understand it,鈥� said Will Gatchel 鈥�23, a business analytics major from New Bern, N.C., who will work for KPMG following his graduation in May. 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a moment where I felt it go over my head, and honestly, this is 聽really helpful as I go on my analytics professional journey. It was nice that each speaker brought their own flavor of their own experiences.

鈥淥ne of the things that 黑料不打烊 prides itself on is experiential learning, and getting here and meeting people who are in the industry and are doing research for the betterment of society, can be a lot more informative than a typical lecture. Integrating that within the classroom is something 黑料不打烊 as an institution does well.鈥�

In addition to the LaRose Digital Theatre presentations, 黑料不打烊 Health Analytics Day featured poster presentations during the lunch break in a third-floor Sankey Hall conference and classroom space.

Nearly a dozen students from 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Doctor of Physical Therapy Program shared research findings with the four researchers and industry experts who visited campus for the event, as well as other students, faculty, and staff.

Reflections from Students in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

• 鈥淎s much as we learn from doing our own research, we also learn so much from the people who come up to our posters and share a little bit about what they鈥檝e learned from doing similar research and some of their own perspectives. Every presentation we make gets us feedback on what else we can do with our work.鈥� – Zachary Ormond G鈥�23

• 鈥淚 used to be a former Division I football player, so I was in and out of the training room. One of the best things we were able to do with this project was we were involved in that preseason testing, something I used to do as an athlete. It was cool being on the other side of things, really seeing the importance of these tests. Guys do them in college but don鈥檛 have an idea of why. This allows us to point out flaws in sports rehabilitation protocols and to share our thoughts with other individuals. We intend to learn a lot any time we talk. We teach others, and others always give us tips.鈥� – Jordan Waite G鈥�23
• 鈥淚 find a lot of value in presenting to a different audience than we鈥檙e used to. We鈥檝e presented this poster several times to other physical therapists, but it鈥檚 nice to get a different perspective on analytics and discuss how we did the research and what we did to standardize our data.鈥� – Bridgette Macapagal G鈥�23

• 鈥淏eing able to talk and get different perspectives from others and learning what鈥檚 out there – what do people know about Parkinson鈥檚 Disease, or how have they seen their research interests in this, and what do our numbers mean to us? – for clinicians, it鈥檚 really important. We may have the data, but what does it matter for us? I think having that clinical perspective is a nice way to meet different perspectives on quantitative data.鈥� – Allie Knuckles G鈥�23
• 鈥淗ow we move forward is through learning from one another. Being in a program together, we come with similar backgrounds. Presenting at Analytics Day, we meet with people from a different background that really provides an opportunity for everyone to grow, to excel, and to bounce ideas off one another. We can take those ideas and have a greater impact on others.鈥� – Ann Heil G鈥�23

Registration is complimentary thanks to the generosity of Center for Organizational Analytics partners.

黑料不打烊 Health Analytics Day

Friday, March 31
10 a.m. 鈥� 3 p.m.
LaRose Digital Theatre in the Koury Business Center
Lunch Provided in Sankey 308

(Walk-ins Welcomed but Advanced Registration is Helpful)

Visit the 黑料不打烊聽Center for Organizational Analytics website for a full schedule of the day and a description of presentations.

Questions? Contact Dr. Manoj Chari, director of the Center for Organizational Analytics, at mchari@elon.edu or (336) 278-5912.

Speakers

• Steve Kearney聽is the global medical director at SAS
• Tarun Mohan Lal聽is an experienced analytics healthcare leader currently working as a consultant for a joint venture between two private equity firms: DKP and GoldenTree.
• Maria E. Mayorga聽is a professor of personalized medicine and director of graduate recruitment and success in the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University
• Alexander 鈥淪andy鈥� Preiss is a research data scientist at RTI International鈥檚 Center for Data Science and AI